Cockerill changes tune over Kinghorn
EDINBURGH head coach Richard Cockerill has performed a major U-turn over the international prospects of his full-back Blair Kinghorn.
Back in October, in the build up to the autumn Test series, the Englishman stated the 20-year-old was not yet ready to make the step up from the club game.
‘I don’t think he’s consistent enough... he shows some very, very good things in attack and has a huge amount of potential but I think the errors in his game aren’t acceptable at the moment,’ said Cockerill at the time.
No doubt with his words of warning ringing in his ears, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend opted against selecting Kinghorn for the matches against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia.
Now, however, with Scotland’s Six Nations squad set to be named next week, Cockerill is backing the youngster to become a worthy understudy to Stuart Hogg.
‘I think Blair is good enough to play Test rugby now because of the way he has matured in the last 12 weeks,’ said the Edinburgh boss. ‘If Stuart Hogg is not fit, my opinion is that he is ready to play full-back for Scotland, for sure.
‘He has the potential to play at 15 and, if not there, on the wing because he is young, very quick and creates opportunities. He will only get better the more he plays.’
Cockerill revealed he made clear to Kinghorn (right), who turns 21 next week, that he had to knuckle down to improve his game. He told him he was not fulfilling his potential — and, until he did, he could forget about playing for Scotland.
‘He listened and Blair has been our most improved player,’ said Cockerill. ‘He has matured very well, played very well and has done really well with ball in hand.
‘He is not making that one horrific error every game that is costly.
‘If it is costly for us, can you imagine what it would be like at Test level?
‘He realises he is an important part of the team and we have had a few discussions about him taking things a bit more seriously.
‘At his age, he is not young anymore. For me, young in rugby is 17 or 18 — not being nearly 21 in his case.
‘If he continues to knuckle down and work hard, the opportunities with Scotland and with ourselves are going to be there.
‘He has been pretty much our form player and has been very consistent. We are a better team with him and have a different attacking threat when he is on the field. He has been exceptional, hasn’t he?
‘Everybody knows the Six Nations is just round the corner. The players will know that and will be trying to catch the eye of Gregor Townsend. They have a chance to do that when we play Stade Francais in the Challenge Cup at Myreside at the weekend.’
Cockerill may expect Kinghorn to play a major part in the Six Nations but admits loosehead prop Darryl Marfo is in a race against time to be fit to take part. He is struggling with a disc problem in his lower back and surgery has not been ruled out, which would mean a long lay-off. Marfo hasn’t played since winning his third Scottish cap against Australia in November and has now gone to see a specialist. ‘Darryl is seeing a specialist about his back and he won’t be fit for the weekend against Stade Francais,’ said Cockerill. ‘As for his chances of making the Six Nations, he has not played since the autumn. His last game was against Australia and, since then, he has had a slight disc issue in his back, which is giving him some problems down his legs. ‘That’s settling slowly but it is not happening as quickly as we would have liked. ‘It is frustrating and we will get him back on the field. But at this point, it does not look like it will be in the next couple of weeks. ‘As for surgery, I don’t know. That is why he is seeing the people that do. Surgery is the last resort with any injury. ‘Darryl is very frustrated to be out as he played very well for Scotland in the autumn and did not look out of place at all. ‘He wants to get back as soon as possible when his back gets better.’